The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding a hearing on Iraq on C-SPAN2. Chairman Warner is giving his opening statement. I expect a little more deference to Carl Levin, since he will be the chairman come January. John Abizaid, the commander of Central Command is going to testify.
Claire McCaskill and Jim Webb were assigned to this committee. I am sure they will do a good job there.
Let’s see what happens today. Will the Republicans act with less arrogance? Will they have any humility? Will Abizaid give candid answers?
…completely full of it. Iraqi Army is doing great, etc…
Abizaid thinks we can still create an Iraq that is at peace with itself and its neighbors by doing more of the same. Timetables will undermine our flexibility.
and their continuing work there keeps us safe here, the same old crapolla from Abazaid.
Satterfield (from State dept.) is presenting the expected view of the situation, only thing hopeful was that he called it serious.
according to Satterfield, Iraq is reaching out to neighbors for assistance…..Is that a signal of where we(Bushco) are willing to go.
Just about the only bright light I’ve seen so far and that is not saying much.
Iraq is reaching out to its neighbors for assistance…I can hear it now: “Hey, you, Iran, c’mere, give us a hand!”
I would like to get others opinion who are watching this hearing, does it seem like Abazaid is speaking freely, to me it does not, he is still under influence of Rumsfeld or higher up. I suppose that is a redundant question.
They don’t seem to be his chosen words. Just speaking from my own personal experience but when they are my words they flow and when they aren’t I stumble and mispronounce and I don’t have an easy flow.
Yes he had to stop to think when asked about troop levels strategy. which btw for those not watching he said they have on the table the full range from withdrawel (completely?) to adding forces.
Finally, Levin gets to ask some questions.
I just find this hearing to be sad. We have no answers. We are incapable of facing the degree to which Iraq has ruined this country.
Agreed, it is sad, what a mess this has come to.
I just want to throw in here something that Dena and I talked about the other day. She thinks that with all the citizens leaving there who have the ability to leave, the country is seriously drained of intellectual capacity, that the citizens will continue fighting each other and eventually disinigrate into tribal rule with Islamic Law ruling or Shria Law (or however it is spelled. She says this regardless of what US does. Her last weeks there it was impossible to leave the house without head scarf, so propects for women are very bad. Also she says when the insurgents or roving bands of mauraders have more time they will crack down hard on women.
McCain vs Abazaid, MC do we have enough troops, Abazaid says we don’t have the ability to produce sustain 20,000 extra troops with current force levels.
Showdown, in sSenate, all about the ag bill for disaster relief for farmers and I think it is Conrad, threatens to object to any further business….bringing this up today was agreed to yesterday with the leadership and today they have objected to it. Cspan 2 looks like a fight is brewing here.